Death: It's the New Pink
by Neon Red Phoenix
Summary: A few months after the destruction of Alcatraz, twins Gailyn and Joey Bailey, their mother recently murdered, feel as if they have nowhere to turn. That is, until Gailyn becomes the willing host of her dead Aunt Jean. Can bodies have backseat drivers?
1. One for the Body

Middlesex County, MA – The Not-Too-Distant-Future 

"Death to Muties." A common phrase, even though the government had officially dropped the Mutant Registration Act.

The "world had been _saved_ by mutants."

_Pfft_, like the common Homo _sapiens_ really cared! Sure, people were beginning to accept muties, but, really, it was a change in feeling that was fairly slow in coming.

Just like racism, which never truly went away. The Ku Klux Klan still existed, after all.

The feelings of a society took time to change, and that was time Gailyn didn't want to spend waiting until her children, or even her children's children, were truly accepted.

Joey, her twin brother, and only remaining immediate family, stood glaring at the anti-mutant graffiti along side her, clenching and unclenching his enormous fists. The knuckles turning white, then back to normal, just to be clenched again, the blood retreating back once more from the surface.

"You think Gramma and Grampa Grey would take us in…?" Joey ventured hesitantly, with a hint of a Boston accent, waiting for his sister's opinion as she continued to glare at the anti-mutant graffiti on the concrete wall of the underpass, as well. Well over six feet tall, and still growing, Joey was also known as 'Tank', and weighed in at over 300 lbs of almost pure muscle. Gailyn, about 5'7", was known as Psi. Both had bright red hair, the color of flames, and brilliant green eyes, like looking right into an emerald.

The weather had gotten torrential, as the two had been hiking along the bike-path. Soaking wet, they had sought refuge in this underpass where the path intersected under the highway. The air damp and slightly cold, the occasional honk of horns and the constant hum of vehicles as they drove over them, totally oblivious of the twin mutants. At least it was summer, so, even though it was soaking wet out, it wasn't freezing.

"How can we? With Aunt Jean going ballistic like that, and mom getting killed like that…", rage consumed her at the memory of what had happened, the walls of the tunnel shaking from something other then late afternoon traffic "How the _heck_ could they ever _trust_ us? _Mutants_?" Gaylin shouted, also with a hint of the same Bostonian accent. She was angry at their situation, not at Joey. Which he understood, he just refused to back down.

"We have to go somewhere!" he retorted in kind. "They're our only remaining family. They have to at least let us stay for a _little_ while! Enough to get on our own two, or, rather, four, feet!"

"Oh, yeah, keep us around so they can keep an eye on us? Make sure we don't kill anybody, or, Heaven forbid, destroy a building! We don't even know where they're staying while they're house gets rebuilt! How do you intend to find them?" cheeks a light pink in the twilight, Joey could see her jaw clenching as she ground her teeth in anxious habit.

"Well, you're a psi, a telekine, so-" he began.

"No!" she interrupted, taking deep breathes and rubbing her temples in an attempt to sooth away a dull headache, " It doesn't work that way! I have to concentrate just to keep the locals' thoughts out of my head, and whenever I do lose control, I hear so many voices I feel as if my brain will explode. How do you expect me to scan a few states without killing myself? It's just… _I can't_ do it…" the frustration and anger at their situation dripped from every word she said. The dirt and condensation on the floor began to rise. The little droplets of water floating in mid air like some pathetic joke of a fog.

"Calm down, Gail." Joey chided in a soft tone as he went and sat on one of the bench-like cement outcroppings at the bottom of each of the tunnel walls. Only a couple feet high, Joey looked as if her were sitting in a kiddy chair, he looked so awkward. "It was just a thought. I didn't mean to make you mad." His frustration didn't show in his tone, but his eyes spoke volumes. He was the calm one; he had become the anchor to his twin's mind. "Take a deep breath, ok?" She complied, closing her eyes as she centered herself.

"Sorry…" she apologized sheepishly. Her temper seemed to be getting the best of her lately. "It's just so hard, you know? Keeping out all these thoughts, staying out of people heads. I mean," she paused, thinking of the right words to describe it. "I can hardly keep myself from prying into other peoples' minds. It's more keeping myself out, then keeping them out, you know?"

Joey nodded silently. "I get ya, I get ya," he whispered, grinning at her weakly, before sighing loudly. "We could try that school Aunt Jean worked at…" he suggested.

A sudden cool, swift breeze blew through the damp, dark tunnel, causing Gailyn and Joey to look up, almost expecting to see their aunt's former colleague, Storm, but seeing nothing but the darkness of the trail ahead. Gail could hardly keep herself from comparing the darkness on the trail beyond of the tunnel, to the seeming darkness ahead of them on the paths of their lives.

Just nodding in agreement, Joey sat down on the damp asphalt. "So…?

"So what?"

"You know… Xavier's school?"

"Oh… The so called 'school for _gifted_ youngsters'?" she scoffed with a sneer. "Sounds like a school for _retarded_ kids."

"_Come on_, Gail! We have to go _somewhere_!" Joey stood, towering over his twin, yelling right in her face. "Do you have any better ideas?" he asked in a softer, almost pleading, tone, his eyes softening. For a mountain made of muscle, he really was a caring guy, with amazing self-control.

Avoiding looking at him, she walked to the other wall before turning to face him with a huge sigh. "No, I guess I don't." she admitted grudgingly, clenching her teeth in anger at her own pride, taking deep breathes while counting to ten over and over again, she relaxed, mind and body. In doing so, her mind felt like it was reaching out.

While scanning the area, more fore fun then security, she noticed a presence, a very close presence other then her and her brother.

Joey could tell when she was using her telepathy, because she always seemed to tilt her head to the right, as if she were listening to something only she could hear.

Gailyn's mind barely brushed the other's when she was attacked. It was as if the other person had punched the side of her skull. Next thing she knew, her twin was kneeling beside her. Shouting her name franticly, she dumbly realized. What was wrong with her? Sounded like Joey was at the other end of a tunnel… and getting farther and farther away, his voice echoing off of the corners of her mind, the only light at the end of that tunnel where her brother was standing.

Darkness… Darkness… Her brother and the light had fled, or that was the feeling Gail was getting. Just like a dream, where you have knowledge of your situation from no prior experience. Hmmm, was this what death was like…? She always thought she'd see her parents in heaven. Unless this was-

"Hell?" offered a disembodied voice.

Gailyn would have jumped in surprise, but she was floating in oblivion. All she ended up doing was twitching in a rather amusing way. Or, at least the voice thought is was funny since it started to laugh. No… Not it… She… A familiar female voice too.

"Who are y-" overcome by a sudden feeling that something large was looming over her, licking it's lips and ready to swallow her whole, she shut her mouth tight, afraid of the answer.

"Who am I?" the voice seemed to be chuckling, amused. They were toying with her! Frowning, Gail nodded curtly. "You should full well know who I am, Gaily." The voice gave the impression of disappointment.

Eyes narrowing farther, she tried to place the voice. There was really only one person that came to mind that this other lady could be… but… she died…

"There you go…", a figure, the voice coming from them, now, instead of right in her ear. As the person approached, it was as if they were walking towards a campfire, they were constantly getting brighter, coming closer, out of the darkness.

Details became clearer. Female. Average height. Red… hair… Green… eyes…

"Auntie?" Gailyn squeaked, eyes wide, looking as if she just saw a ghost. Then again… Auntie Jean was supposed to be dead! She _was_ seeing a ghost!

"Yes." Her aunt said meekly, whether replying to Gailyn's word or thoughts, or even both, she wasn't sure.

Jean came within a few feet of her niece before coming to a stop. Gailyn seemed to be a younger carbon copy of her aunt. Same eyes, same hair, same nose, mouth, ears, the list went on. They were identical, barring the obvious age difference.

Another difference was that Jean seemed to be standing on a solid surface, while Gailyn… no gravity was having any effect on her. She was just floating there. Gailyn grumbled as she turned in place, like a doughnut on display, asking to be bought by that lucky early morning trafficker.

Smiling that smile that told Gailyn she was about to be taught a lesson from an experienced professor, Jean looked down at the oblivion she seemed to be standing firmly on. "Just imagine it in your mind, solid ground, and it will be. Your mutation is in your mind. Your only limit is your imagination and your will to make it so."

Scowling slightly at her feet, she thought to herself, _touch the ground, darn it!_ She then slammed to the ground. "Ouch! My tailbone!" she complained, rubbing her lower back, like a child that had just gotten a spanking, as she stood up. Equal in height to her aunt, they looked more like time warped mirror images then anything else.

"So… Auntie Jean… Aren't you, like…?"

"Dead?"

"Yeah…" Gailyn's eyebrow quirked, "How does that work again? You die and… go to heaven or whatever?" What else could you ask the walking dead?

Dr. Grey laughed. "I'm more like the floating dead then the walking dead, Gaily."

"Right…" _Wha? _"I heard… stories…" she hinted before feeling sudden fluttering sensation, like a moth flying in then out of her head, Gailyn guessed that was what it was like to have your mind read.

"Kind of." Jean responded to the girl's thoughts. "You're a psi, so, you're more mentally aware then, say, a normal person. Joey, though, could probably recognize being scanned, though."

"Really?" she wanted to know more. "How come?" Gailyn hadn't even realized her eyes had gone wide with fascination. That was good. Better to feel intrigued by your mutation then be afraid of it.

"Well, if you're scanned enough, or are familiar enough with the scanner, your subconscious gets used to it, familiar with the feeling. Do you get what I'm saying?" she asked her niece, causing her to nod and grin.

"That's kinda cool." She whispered in fascination, her eyes closed, her mind going over the sensation of being 'read'. She was almost caught up in the moment before her sense caught up with her instead. Remembering where she was, she opened one eye, gazing at her Aunt warily. "So… the whole dead thing… You are dead, right?"

Jean laughed lightly, sadly. "Yes. I am dead. In body."

"You're on drugs." Her niece responded, opening her other eye as her eyebrows began to form a slight scowl, which earned a peeved glare from Jean.

"Are you just going to give me attitude, or are you going to listen?" she sounded every bit the teacher she once was.

Gailyn grinned at the response, motioning for her aunt to go on.

"Alright. So, when I died at Alkali Lake, I really did die… but something strange happened. The Phoenix somehow brought me back together again." Shaking her head as if she could hardly believe this bit of news herself, she went on; "It took a long time before I was fully regenerated, and when I was whole, my subconscious began reaching out to Scott…" a tear fell down her cheek, and why not? Even Gailyn heard that her aunt's fiancé had somehow died, and that Jean was somehow involved. "Well… he came to me… woke me up… and I…" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, causing tears to fall down both sides of her face, trying to regain her composure. As long as Gailyn had known her, she had always been that way, always in control. This was the first time she had actually seen her… lose that façade.

"And you, what? Tickled him to death?" Gailyn prodded, knowing it was harsh, thinking it was partly true, yet wanting answers.

"No… yes… sort of… I kind of… tore him apart…" Jean looked as if she desperately wanted to crawl into a hole and vanish. Gailyn was surprised that she didn't just wink out right there.

" You 'tore him apart'? Like…"

"With my powers…it was as if every single molecule in his body had somehow become loose, and he… poofed." Jean still hadn't opened her eyes. If anything, they were shut even tighter then before.

"He… poofed… That's very… How do you say, um, pleasant?" Inside, Gailyn was shocked. The images Jean was transmitting certainly could be described as Scott Summers going… poof… He seemed to have exploded into a cloud of multi-colored dust. She then saw images of her aunt making out with a hairy, hot guy that looked very animalistic. _Wow!_ "Auntie, I must say, you got good taste!"

Even with tears streaking her face, Gailyn was able to make her smile, even laugh a little, as she lightly bonked Gailyn on the side of the head with her fist. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Gaily."

Giggling, Gailyn rubbed her head where she had been 'hit'. "Why? You seem perfectly content in the gutter!" she yelped as Jean telekinetically bonked her on the head again.

This was how they had been before Gailyn's dad died. Before She pushed all but her brother away. She had tried to push Joey away… but he stood by her, even when she didn't want him there. Only later on did she realize that… she had wanted him with her from the start, she just didn't want to admit that she needed anybody. Not after her dad 'leaving' like that. She had been six years old, for crying out loud, how else could she understand her dad suddenly not coming home one day? Never coming home again…?

"_Gailyn!"_

It took her a moment to realize it was Joey's voice she was hearing. Frowning in confusion, she turned a question eye to her Aunt, who just shrugged in response. "You were thinking about him, so your mind probably subconsciously reached out to him. If that's not the answer, then I have no idea."

Nodding, Gailyn closed her eyes, concentrating on that mental link she had with her brother. "Joey?"

Ψ 

Gailyn had seemed to be hearing something before she suddenly collapsed. With surprising speed, even with his bulk, he caught her before she hit the ground. "_Gailyn_?" he cried out. He gently laid her down on the wet ground. Her eyes were closed, her breathing seemed normal, same with her pulse. He felt as if his heart would stop. "No… _No_! Gailyn! Come on Sis! Wake up!"

Gently picking her up, he cradled her to his hulking chest. "Wake up… come on, wake up…" He found his eyes watering, and, at the rate that the tears were falling he couldn't blame it on something in his eye. "No, come on! Gailyn! You're all I have left! Come on! Wake up!" He put her somewhat at arms length so he could slap her cheeks, in attempts to wake her, but that failed.

All he could think to do was cradle her to him, as he rocked back and forth, becoming increasingly more frantic by the second. After a minute or so, he finally remembered his own advice. Taking deep breathes, he thought of a way that might bring her back.

So, with body and mind, he tried calling out to her, "Gailyn!"

Her brows knit together, as if confused, but her eyes didn't open. "Joey?" joy swept through him like a tsunami, cleansing away the panic abruptly and thoroughly.

"Hahaha, yeah." He said softly; more tear springing forth, but this time out of relief. "What happened?" he asked, still holding his sister close, as if she might slip away from him… just like their parents.

Ψ 

"Hahaha, yeah." Gailyn heard Joey say softly, but in this black oblivion his words seemed to echo.

"Alright, Gailyn, I need to talk to you." Jean said, wiping the tears from her face in a very dignified manner.

"Just a sec Joey. I'll be right there.

"Speak your piece, Auntie." Gailyn replied, her aunt's tone told her this was very serious.

Jean took a deep breath, as if she were preparing herself. "I need a host." All that did was earn an incredulous stare from the younger redhead.

"A… host…? What are you talking about? Maybe you really are on drugs, Auntie."

"Gaily, I'm serious. As I already told you, I'm 'more like the floating dead'. That's because I'm kind of… a wandering spirit…" Jean laid her hand across her forehead, eyes closed, as if she were speaking words she never thought she would ever speak in her entire life, lines that were only in books and movies.

"And… you need a host?" Gailyn wanted to help, but past experiences told her to be cautious. "And, you came to me… cause you want _me_ to be your _host_?"

Jean just nodded.

"Hmmm, right…" biting her lower lip, she began walking around the oblivion, never venturing more then a few yards from where Jean stood. "And…? What does being a 'host' entail?" Gailyn seemed to be interrogating Ms. Grey as she started walking in slow circles around her. Jean kept her eyes on her niece at all times.

"I'm not sure, really. I've never heard of situations like this… although Xavier's is similar, it's not the same." Gailyn paused in place, her blank, confused face begging Jean to elaborate. "Well, while wandering, I came across Professor Xavier's spirit. He seemed a little lost. He said he was looking for Muir Island, looking for Moira McTaggert. Said there was a body without higher brain functions. Said he thought of a way to use the body." Gailyn began walking again, eyes on her aunt at all times.

"So, using the his ideas, I went in search of a host for myself… then I remembered you. You and I look almost exactly alike, and we're family, so…"

Gailyn nodded. "You figured I was your best bet?"

"Yes." Jean admitted, feeling like she was confessing to a crime, about to be sentenced to some kind of death sentence. Which didn't really make sense since she was already 'dead', but oh well. "Also, it would be less of a shock for me to look in the mirror and see your face. After all, mom always said we looked more like twins then you and Joey." Both laughed at that, because it was true. Gramma Grey was so cool. Plus, she made the best lasagna in the world!

"Y'know what Auntie Jean?" Gailyn asked with a mischievous grin.

"What?" she didn't like that look on her niece's face.

"If I become your host… will you be able to help me on tests in school, if I ever go back?" Gailyn was full out smiling from ear to ear now, waiting expectantly for an answer, eyes practically sparkling.

Laughing whole-heartedly, Jean bonks her on the tops of the head before grabbing her in a chokehold, giving her a playful noogie. "Ah! My scalp!" Gailyn squealed. "Auntie! Stop! Ah!"

"Wrong relative!" Jean grinned, laughing at her niece's pleas.

"Uncle! Uncle!" Gailyn squealed instead. Jean let go, both laughing.

"I'm sorry," more laughing. "But you'd have to do those on your own, haha, I'll help you study, though." Smiling, she waited for Gailyn's answer.

The younger redhead rubbed her chin thoughtfully with one hand, while rubbing her sore scalp with the other, chewing on her lower lip. "This is a very important decision, you realize." Said jokingly, even though she was thinking very seriously. She could say no… Then Auntie Jean would have to go find a different body. But… What if she were in Jean's place? She'd probably want a family member, too… For one, it was somebody she knew. It wouldn't be just some stranger, so getting used to the host would be easier. Plus, the face in the mirror really did count. She knew her aunt took pride in how she looked. After all, Gailyn herself was somewhat proud of her appearance, though she often said otherwise.

Jean waited, holding her mental breath as she heard her niece's thoughts. The girl was being a lot more understanding then she would have given the teen credit for. The attitude was pretty much self-defense, she was afraid of people getting too close to her… That spoke volumes for Joey, seeing as how he was so close to her.

"Ok, I've come to my decision." Gailyn announced. "I… will… not…"

Jean felt like crying.

"…let you go without a body." Gailyn finished, her smile tense, trying to keep the atmosphere light and humorous. This wasn't any easy thing for her, as Jean could full well see and read in her mind. "So, how does this work? Is there some type of ceremony or whatever?" Fear began twisting at her gut. What did she get herself into?

Ψ 

Joey continued to cradle his sister. She had sounded more serious then usual when she had told him she would be right back. "Hurry up, Gailyn." He muttered. Night had fallen, and the moon rose, almost full.

Ψ 

"Hurry up, Gailyn." Joey words echoed.

"You heard the man. Chop, chop." Gailyn made a karate chop action, hitting the palm of her other hand, emphasizing each chop. Jean nodded gravely in response.

Ψ 

Becoming increasingly impatient, Joey had begun tapping his feet to rhythms only he could hear. He had been in a band once. Lead singer, in fact. A pretty darn good one, too. If he did say so, himself.

The trouble came when some guy named William Stryker somehow gained the technology to target mutants about three years ago or so. That had been what had awakened Joey's mutation…

Shunning that memory to the back of his mind, he tried to think of happier thoughts. Or, he had been trying to when his sister suddenly began convulsing in his arms, as if she were having a wicked bad seizure.

Caught by surprise, all Joey could do was stare as his sister's mouth open in a silent scream. It was when her eyes shot open that Joey thought he had lost his grip on his sanity. Gailyn's eyes seemed to be on fire, staring straight ahead, seeing nothing. The walls of the tunnel all around began shaking, bits of cement falling all around them.

The highway had, luckily, become devoid of cars, so nobody noticed when a large crack marred the asphalt road from one end of the bridge to the other, many other small cracks fanned out from it.

Then, silence.

Joey hadn't even noticed that he had closed his eyes and covered his head with both arms, sheltering himself from the falling ceiling. Panicked, he looked around for his sister, whom he found standing a few feet away, her back to him.

"Gaily…" He said softly, trying to get her attention. A slight breeze blew through the tunnel, ruffling both kids' hair. Dust and debris fell from his shoulders as he carefully climbed to his feet. "Gaily." This time catching her attention, she turned her head to the side, gazing at him with fiery eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." She said sadly, eyes furrowed in a slight scowl, frowning tightly.

"Didn't know what?" Joey was beginning to get a bad vibe, here. She wasn't acting normal… and her eyes never blazed like that before.

"Joey… Gailyn's unconscious. I didn't know this would take such a toll on her." the girl explained.

"Why are you talking in the third-person?" What the heck is goin' on here?

"Allow me to explain. This may take a bit." She said, her eyes dying back down to their normal shade of green.

"Alright… I'm listening…"

Ψ 

"So… Xavier's _alive_?" Joey could hardly believe his ears; he had heard the geezer had croaked.

"Yes." Answered Jean.

"And… You're Auntie… and you're… possessing my sister? Why does this sound like some B-Rate sci-fi movie?" Joey's voice went low, imitating the movie trailer voice, "His sister possessed by his undead aunt, the world in peril! What will our hero do?"

"Joey, this is serious!" Jean scowled.

"I know it is! I'm just trying to use humor so I can cope for the time being, alright!" Jean didn't seem to be listening, though. Her head was slightly tilted, as if she were hearing something he couldn't

"Great." He was really losing it. "You lecture me, then stop listening. Do you teach all your classes this way?"

Shaking her head, Gailyn frowned at Joey in confusion. "I never taught any classes… I'm a freakin' teenager, gosh!" she said with a grin.

"Gailyn…?" her twin asked cautiously. "Is that you?" That earned a grin from her.

"Yeah, I'm back. And _now_ we're schizophrenic! Isn't that _wonderful_?" Gail squealed sarcastically. Ugh, when life gives you lemons, just _shut up_ and eat your lemons, gosh_ darn it_!


	2. Two for the Home

I do not own X-Men, or any other Marvel creations. This is just a fan fic, a fan based work of fiction.

* * *

**Boone County, MO – Local Summer Major Softball League Game**

"Good eye! Good eye!" Jesse was jumping in the dugout as her teammate got a fourth ball and walked to first. Bases loaded, her softball team winning fifteen to two, the last inning in the game. Things were going perfectly, and the next batter, Chelsea, went up. She takes her stance, and eyes the pitcher, a taunting smirk on her face. This pitcher, Danny, was one of the worst Jesse had ever come across, and she knew her friend would at least get a walk like a lot of the rest of her team. Fourteen years old, like Jesse, she was the best player in the team.

Jesse, assuming her friend would do fine, caught a weird look in Dani's eyes. The look that meant she was mad… and desperate. She was always very accurate when she got that look in her eyes. Jesse tried to warn Chelsea, but it was too late. Dani wound up, and threw. The softball was more of a blur then a ball, it went so fast, it hit Chelsea right in the temple, causing her to fall over. Knocked unconscious on impact, even with the helmet for protection.

The umpire called a time out, and immediately the coach, Jesse, and her team all ran out of the dugout, helping to get her to a safe spot on one of the benches. No penalties were called, saying the pitcher's bad aim was to blame. Jesse knew better.

As she got up to bat, she glared daggers at Dani; the pitcher smirked back, her eyes glittering with amusement. Something inside Jesse snapped. Sparked. Like the beginnings of a large bonfire, consuming her reasoning. All she saw was Dani. All she wanted was payback. And she knew she would get it.

The pitcher threw the ball, a blur of motion barely registered by eyesight. It was out of the strike zone, though.

"Ball one!" the umpire called.

Jesse took a few practice swings, her eyes focusing on the ball in Dani's hands. When the pitcher wound up and threw the ball, Jesse acted on pure instinct. She whacked it with the bat straight on, and with so much force that there was a spark. That alone was surprising enough, but what came next shocked and amazed.

The ball was instantly consumed by flames, as it shot out and hit the ground in front of the opposing team's pitcher, it rebounded and came up to nail her right in the face with the softball that seemed to have been created in the burning pits of Hell itself.

Screaming in agony, from both the impact of the ball and the flames now licking at her face, Dani fell to her knees. If it weren't such a terrifying situation, Jesse would have laughed at how ridiculous she looked. Screaming and crying like that.

The crowd then began to freak out with the realization of what had happened. Jesse Thompson was a mutant. Who knew what she could do. Jesse even saw her mom booking it for the car. Driving away without her. She quickly found herself alone. Her only sign that she was not forgotten by the world was the growing sound of sirens closing in on her.

She did the only thing she could think of. She ran, away from the emergency vehicles towards home. It was on the other side of town, but it was the only place she could think to go.

When she got there, there was no warm welcome. In fact, there was no welcome, whatsoever. The lights were out, and ever door and window was locked. She did find a folded up note on the back porch, though.

Opening it, the tears she had been holding back sprang forth like a dam breaking under too much pressure. The only thing the letter said was, "_We have no daughter_."

With that, Jesse left with nothing but the clothes on her back, her batting equipment… and the money she was supposed to buy food with from the Snack Shack during the game. She had to chuckle sadly a little about that as she walked down the dark street, away from her old life, on towards her new one.

**X-Men Mansion – Westchester, NY**

Logan sauntered down the halls of the school, his destination the Head Mistress's office. Ororo had called him up as soon as the last session of the day in the Danger Room had been completed.

'Mutant High' had had to install some phones and intercoms around the school for communication purposes. In the 'good ole days', as the days before Xavier's death were now referred to, Charles would just use his powers to call people, or talk to them from across the school.

Ororo Munroe, also known as Storm, was no psi, though. Making that feat impossible for her. At least not without the aide of modern technology.

He had to pass by Xavier's office, which was left empty. That is, except for his wheel chair, set close by his desk in memory. Logan sure missed Chuck. He may have doubted the old guy's methods, but that was no reason for him to be killed.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he continued on his way, quickly arriving at his goal. Knocking on the door, he waited impatiently for a response.

"Enter, Professor Logan." came 'Ro's muffled order, and he did. _Professor_ Logan. He shuddered at that. Him as a professor didn't jive with his mind. He frowned a little as he shut the door. Ororo motioned for him to sit in one of the seats in front of her desk. He smelled slightly of alcohol and tobacco. Not as bad as his odor used to be, though. The drinking he kept up, but the smoking he seemed to cool down on. After all, it was his healing factor that kept him from getting cancer. The kids didn't have that advantage.

"What's this about Storm? I know you're not asking me out on a date." He stated with a grin, earning a tired sigh from the woman.

"Logan, I received a call earlier from Moira McTaggert on Muir Island in Scotland." Getting right down to business, 'Ro didn't let herself grin at Logan's statement. He was becoming more open, even after Jean and Xavier's death. He was even teaching at the school, now.

"And…?" the man motioned for her to go on, clearly not seeing the point.

"And, it appears she is coming to visit. Bringing a patient along with her." She looked just about as confused as Logan felt "Though she hasn't stated the reason for the upcoming visit, she informs me that it is very important."

"Hmmm, yeah, and, this lady is… who? What are her ties to this school?" a very suspicious person, he wanted all the dirt on this lady, right here and now.

"She is a former colleague of Xavier's, also, or so Jean told me, former lover, as well. Xavier and Moira have a long history together. She has a research facility of some kind. She was helping Xavier with some of his lessons before the attack. She had sent some footage Xavier requested of a patient." Shaking her head, a slight frown formed on her lips, her bright blue eyes narrowing slightly. "The patient she will be bringing with her. Though, aside from what I told you, I'm a little fuzzy on the details, sorry."

Nodding, Logan understood Storm's suspicions, as well as her confusion. "So, when she comes, keep an eye on her? Watch her?"

Ororo leaned forward across her desk, her eyes narrowing even further. "Like a hawk Logan."

He grinned. It was more ferocious then humorous, but Ororo was used to that. "Can do, Head Mistress. Can do."

"Alright, then." She said, waving her hand at the door dismissively. "You may go teach your next class." When Logan had left, she looked down at the picture on her desk. It was a photo of the original students here. Hank and Scott stood on the back row, and Ororo sat next to Jean, who's hair was her normal fiery red, but stood out against her outfit, in the front. Jean looked like a total, and complete, Goth in her black outfit. She quickly got out of that stage, though. She had gotten so bored so easily back then…

Picking up the cordless X shaped communicator/phone, she called Hank, who was supposed to have called when he found an alleged rogue mutant out in Missouri.

"_Beast, here._" Henry 'Hank' McCoy answered on the first ring.

"Beast, it's Storm. Have you found her yet? She wasn't home?" Ororo asked in a very business like manner.

"_Negative. It appears her family kicked her out, even though she undoubtedly isn't eighteen years old yet._" He informed her, clearly agitated. "_I've already reported them to the police, who are very generously helping look for the youth_."

"Has her mutation been confirmed?"

"_Affirmative. She's a pyrokinetic_." He informed her brusquely.

"There's something you're not telling me."

"_Well… Before she disappeared, she apparently burned another girl's face pretty badly_."

She couldn't help but sigh deeply. "Are violent actions like that consistent with the girl's past behavior?"

"_Surprisingly, no_." Hank sounded relieved. "_Though we got received a call alerting us to her existence, I'm guessing this was her indication of her mutation. By the way, what did that report say, Storm_?"

Ororo turned in her chair, reaching for a drawer on the left side of the desk, which she fished out a small packet of papers. The first page was a picture of the girl with some personal information. "Hmm, let me see… 14 year old girl. Her name is Jesse Thompson. Mostly empty information like that is all that's on the first page." Ororo informed him as she flipped to the next, and last, page. "The second just says where she lives, and that she's a mutant."

"_Pray tell, why did you believe the letter? For all you knew it could have been a fake. A false accusation_." Hank inquired.

"Hey, aren't you the one always telling me that research is how we tell fact from fiction?" she teased a bit as she grinned.

"_Indeed, indeed_." He conceded "_Well, I best be getting back to tracking down our new friend. Beast out._"

"Wait, Beast." Storm's haze wandered around the room, to some other old pictures of the school in it's older, newer days.

"_Yes?_" he asked curiously.

After a brief pause, Storm whispered, "Take care."

Hank smiled on the other end of the line before he replied, "_Thanks. You too. Beast out._" He then hung up, as did she.

The Head Mistress cleared off her desk a bit, and was about to leave the room when her phone rang. Striding briskly back to her desk, she picked up the receiver, and in an impatient, yet very pleasant, voice repeated the greeting she had said countless times before. "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngster's. This is headmistress Munroe speaking. How may I help you?"

"_Hey Storm!_" greeted a young woman's very excitedly.

"And… who might this be…?" she responded, confused. Who outside of the X-Men knew her codename?

"_You might not remember me, but my aunt used to bring me to the school sometimes when my brother and I were visiting her when we were younger._" Answered the girl.

"Gailyn? As in _Jean's _Gailyn?" Storm asked in surprise.

"_Yup. Glad you remember me_," her smile could practically be heard in her voice.

"So, any specific reason for calling?" 'Ro queried.

"_In fact, there is. Well, you see… Mine and Joey's mom died not long ago…_"

"I'm sorry." Ororo said sincerely.

"_It's not _your_ fault."_ The girl replied bitterly, before her voice instantly became cheerful again, making Ororo wonder if she had really heard it right. "_So, my brother and I have nowhere to really go, so…_"

"What about your grandparents?"

Gailyn laughed bitterly at that suggestion. "_A mutant just destroyed their home of, what, 20 years? Think it's been in my dad's family for even longer then that, he may have even born in that house. I don't think going to them is a very… wise, idea._"

"You're probably right… Wait!" suddenly the conversation caught up with her. "You and Joey aren't _mutants_! Scott kept his eyes on you! Visited you just to make sure! _Several _times, in fact!" Last time she saw these kids they were normal, every day children.

"_Hahahaha, he never actually did any DNA tests, now, did he? You'll notice when you see us._" The teen assured her.

"When will that be?" _Oh, dear._ "I can set up your schedule for the upcoming school year."

"_When's the soonest you can take us in?" _Gailyn asked.

"Depends. How long will it take you to get here?"

_"We're approachin' the gates as we speak. See ya soon."_ Click. She had hung up.

Unable to believe what she just heard, as she gazed down at the phone like it was some kind of foreign object before slamming it down.

Ororo ran through the maze of hallways, eyes glowing pure white as she called upon winds to speed her passage, narrowly avoiding Logan who was walking away from the elevator, which headed to the basement of the complex.

Scowling at her as she ran past, he began to follow at a leisurely walk.

When she arrived at the front double doors of the school, she practically threw them open. There they were. It was hard to see the details of the kids from so far away, but one was defiantly feminine while the other was very masculine.

"Gailyn! Joey! Welcome to Xavier's?" Storm said coolly, not in the least out of breathe from the dash to the door. She looked as regal as ever, not a hair out of place.

As the twins stepped into the light, 'Ro was taken back. Joey was very close to seven feet tall now, a mountain of muscle. Last time she had seen him he was a spindly little kindergartener crazy about collecting the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's action figure. And Gailyn… She could have been a clone of Jean for all she could tell.

"Gailyn? Joey?" The youth grinned.

"Yup." They answered in unison.

"Wow, you kids sure have grown up. I'm sure your aunt would have been proud of you." Ororo complimented them.

"_Jeanie?_"

Ororo spun around in place as the twins both shifted their gazes to a man in the doorway. Joey had no idea who this guy was, but something in his twin's eyes said she recognized him.

"Logan." Ororo greeted the other professor. "These are a couple of new students. Gailyn and Joey Bailey. Kids, this is Professor Logan." Wolverine spared a quick glance at the redheaded behemoth before looking back to the girl. Other then an age difference, she was a spitting image of his darlin'. Also, her scent was different.

_Is that hunksicle _your_ guy, auntie?_ Gailyn asked Jean mentally, but got only silence filled with yearning, ache and sorrow in response_. Guess so, haha. Silence can speak a thousand words, you know._

"What are your mutations?" he asked them.

"I can lift heavy stuff." Joey said with a straight face, his eyes twitching in his effort to not laugh or grin.

"Really?", Logan's eyebrow quirked, "I never would have guessed." He said sarcastically back, now unable to hold back a smirk of his own, which caused Joey to grin as well. "And, how 'bout you?" he turned back to Gailyn.

"I'm a psychic," she stated. "I can move things with my mind."

Logan went through a sudden flash back. The girl's voice, her face, and the fact that she quoted Jean brought Logan's mind back to when Jean had shown him his room way back when. Showing of her power to him by closing the closet door from across the room with a mere thought.

Coming back to his senses, he looked at Ororo's questioning gaze. "What?" he said.

"I asked if you could show them to the kitchen, they're probably very hungry." She repeated. "I have some things I have to finish up."

"Sure, why not?" He replied gruffly. "We _still _don't have any beer do we?"

"This is _still_ a school." Ororo said sternly.

"So that's still a _'no'_?" Logan looked disappointed as he shook his head. "Alright kids, let's get some food into those bellies." He announced as he walked inside, right towards the eating area.

"This place hasn't changed much." Gailyn mused, walking stride for stride with Logan, Joey following right behind, warily watching the older man.

"Been here before?" he asked, slightly surprised.

"Yeah, our aunt brought us here sometimes when we were visiting Gramma and Grampa Grey."

"Jeanie's your aunt?" he asked in shock, looking at them sharply, which didn't frighten them at all. All it really did was make Gailyn giggle and Joey grin.

"Yeah, she is. Well, was. _You_ know that part pretty well, I'm betting, though." he spun on her, eyes alight with anger, causing Joey to almost stumble into him, but Gailyn had read his reaction to her words in his thoughts, so she was prepared for his sudden action.

"Just so you know_, little girl!_ I didn't _want_ to kill her! I loved her, and _still _do! And don't you _ever_ doubt that!" Logan was fuming, Gailyn was grinning, and Joey was looking from one to the other, prepared to jump in if this lunatic lost it.

"That's good to hear, _Mr_. Logan." Gailyn commended, and she motioned for him to keep walking, and as they started off again, she continued, before she became serious, "I just wanted to see how much you cared. Thank you for proving yourself." Gailyn seemed to have a hard time believing other people's feeling's for others, but Logan's reaction just proved his heart to her. If Auntie Jean ever got another body, this guy was defiantly good for her.

Wolverine couldn't believe her! Part of him wanted to give her an attitude adjustment, but another part of him… was touched by how sincere she had just sounded. For a moment she hadn't been all attitude, and he wondered how often she used her attitude like a force field.

He shook his head to banish those thoughts, gritting his teeth. This was not going to be an easy year if these two stuck around, he was sure.

_That wasn't very nice, Gailyn._ Jean chastised her niece gently.

_So?_ She replied. _I wanted to see how much he really likes you. You know what…?_

_What?_

_You're really lucky… I kinda wish I were you._

_Be careful what you wish for, Gaily._

_Just might get it? Hahahaha, quite an understatement, if you're referring to my current status of schizophrenia._

When they arrived at the kitchen, there was a young man with short blonde hair fishing in the freezer on his tiptoes, muttering about the lack of Rocky Road.

"Hey, Frosty." Logan called out to the youth, who hurriedly began replacing all of the frozen goods he had moved in order to better go about his search for ice cream.

"Yeah, Professor Logan?" Bobby Drake called from behind the freezer door.

"Got a couple of new students here." He said gruffly, briefly meeting Gailyn's gaze when he looked at her quickly.

"Oh, really?" when he finished with his task, he closed the little door, and turned around, about to greet them, when he caught site of them. His mouth stayed open, and his eyes bulged. At first Logan thought he was as shocked by the girl as he had been, but was quickly shown otherwise. "_Joey?_ Joey _Bailey?_" Bobby asked, quickly walking over when he regained his composure, offering his hand to the other youth.

"_Bobby_! Good to see you, man!" Joey took the offered hand and shook it happily. "You were right, man! They did reverse that dang curse. I owe you, what, ten bucks, now?"

Bobby laughed in response, "No, no, you can keep your money. I'm just glad that whole Curse of the Bambino is gone. Wow, it's been, what? _Ten_ years, now?"

"Haha, yeah. Almost eleven." Joey grinned, letting go of Bobby's hand. Who then cradled it in his other hand when he regained possession of it, "Grip's improved a bit, huh?"

Laughing, Joey responded, making the gesture for tiny with his pointer finger and thumb, "Just a _little_ bit."

"I'm lost." Logan whispered to Gailyn, who was frowning in confusion, herself.

"You're not the only one…" she stared at her brother as if he had grown two, or even three, heads, "Here, let me get a map." She whispered back before tapping Joey on the shoulder. "You two know each other?" she asked, causing Bobby to finally notice her presence.

"Gailyn?" he almost yelled, smile widening even more.

"Um, yeah?" she looked around, clearly uncomfortable. "And…?"

"It's me! Bobby Drake!"

"Name sounds familiar, but, not ringing any bells. Sorry." Shrugging, she didn't know what more to say.

"You don't? Come _on_! You two lived in the house across the street from mine." Bobby almost seemed as if her were pleading, trying to get her to remember.

Recognition dawned on her. "Ooooh! Bobby! As in _Bobby_, Bobby!"

He laughed whole-heartedly. "Yeah, that's me." He said, smiling.

"The same Bobby that flushed my still living gold fish down the toilet?"

Gailyn's grin seemed somehow malevolent as Joey leaned down to whisper to Bobby, "Yeah, she still remembers that." Bobby looked nervously from sibling to sibling.

"Haha, no hard feelings." Gailyn said, slapping him on the shoulder several, painful times, "_Right_, Bobby?" He winced then grinned.

"Sure thing." He replied.

"So… you guys were neighbors when you were younger?" Logan asked, eyebrow quirked.

"Yeah." Bobby supplied before he turned back to the twins. "By the way. Why did you guys move so suddenly?"

Logan heard Gailyn's heart jump before her pulse sped up, along with her breathing. She quietly withdrew, backing away from the three men. "Um, I'm gonna go take a walk around. Ok? Bye." Avoiding eye contact sheepishly, she left as fast as she could while still walking.

"Something bad, I'm guessing?" Logan inquired, turning to look at the remaining twin.

"Yeah, you can say that." Joey didn't look comfortable, either, but he seemed better able to deal with it then his sister. "Here, why not eat some ice cream while I tell you about it. It would make it a bit easier."

Ψ 

Gailyn found a huge TV in the control of a boy, who, whenever he blinked, the channel changed.

"New here?" he asked curtly.

"Ever seen me around before?" she replied as she took a seat on one of the other sofas.

"No."

"Then, yeah, I'm new here."

Ψ 

Bobby got everything together, the bowls the spoons. The ice cream, he kept a vigilant eye on. If it even started to look as if it was getting too soft, he'd put his hand on the side of the carton box and it instantly went back to it's oh-so-yummy goodness.

"So…?" Bobby asked, hinting for Joey to get on with the story.

"So… my sister and I were six years old at the time, almost seven. It was summer vacation. Out of school from Kindergarten seemed like heaven at the time." Joey spooned some ice cream into his mouth, and continued the story after he had swallowed. "My twin, Gailyn-"

"You're _twins?_" Logan asked doubtfully, earning a sharp look from the redhead.

"They looked a lot more alike back then, trust me." Bobby explained, motioning for him to go on again.

"It's just… I thought you were the older one, Joey." Logan defended himself.

"Actually, Gailyn's older by about a half hour. She was born in an ambulance right there in the driveway.

"Now, as I was saying, my _twin_, Gailyn, started having nightmares. My mom tried to comfort her, but Gailyn was convinced that her dreams were real, just like many young kids. Now, mom and Gailyn weren't always the best of friends. She was a lot closer to our dad then our mom. That's not to say she didn't love our mom, however.

"Well, she woke me up one night, crying in her sleep. You see we shared a room at the time. So, I remember stumbling over our stuffed animals and action figures to her side of the room, ready to hit her with my pillow. I was wearing my Superman pajamas…" he smiled sadly at the random memory, "She was muttering something about China Town. So I figured, 'Eh, it's just her nightmare. Nothing important.' At least, that's what I thought until the next morning. Mom was crying and Gailyn was missing.

"I thought she was crying about my sister at first. At least, until she took me in her arms, her tears making the shoulder of my pajamas sopping wet. I didn't move for several minutes as she just cried on my shoulder. When I asked her where Gailyn was, she said she was in the tree house out back…" Joey laughed bitterly. "I was confused, so I asked why she was crying. That was when she said that dad had gone to China Town the afternoon before, after work."

"Precognition?" Bobby's eyes were wide with awe and sympathy.

Joey took a shaky breath as he nodded. "His body was found in an alley. He had been stabbed several times, his wallet, his credit cards, all there, none missing. The only indication for why he was killed was the letters O and M burned onto his forehead."

"There were no witnesses?" Bobby whispered in quiet shock.

Joey shook his head. "The shop owners who recognized his picture said they remembered him looking for 'something nice for the kids. After all, there birthday is coming up.'" Shaking his head, Joey looked up toward the kitchen door. "It's been hard on both of us. Especially when almost the exact same thing happened to our mom a couple of months ago."

Logan listened raptly. The boy had a strong constitution; he had to grant him that… and the girl… Even with her attitude, she seemed to be taking the murders of both of her parents fairly well… He hoped he was taking Jean's second death as well as the kids took their parents' massacres.

"So… ever discover the meaning of O.M.?" Logan asked, and Joey just shook his head slowly.

"Not a clue. But, Gailyn did learn one thing." Joey looked towards the door again, "She found this out by reading the mind of the cop telling us about out mom's death. For some reason, and this is top secret for odd causes, this isn't exactly an isolated incident. Other parents have been found dead with those same initials burned onto there foreheads."

"Any other similarities between the cases?" Bobby asked sadly.

"Yeah…" Joey paused, regaining his thoughts, "All of the parents ended up having kids… with the mutant gene." With a sigh if anger, he continued. "It's the killer's fault, yet Gailyn blames it on herself. If our parents had just listened to her, "Joey glared at the table, clearly wanting to smash it, but he resisted the urge, and instead took a bite of ice cream. "It got soft and runny." He complained with a childish frown, trying to lighten up the mood.

It seemed to work, cause Bobby tapped the lip of Joey's bowl with a single finger, and it instantly froze over, frost covering the outside of the bowl. "Yum, yum, yum, thanks Bobby."

"Don't mention it." He answered back with a grin.

"So, do you two have codenames?" Logan asked curiously, as he pointed over at Bobby. "Frosty here is known as 'Iceman'."

"Oh, yeah." Joey extended his hand out to Logan. "I'm Tank. Nice to meet you…"

"Wolverine." Logan said offhandedly.

"Nice name."

"Thanks." He quickly gazed at the door before looking back at Tank. "Does Miss Attitude have a name, as well?"

Joey laughed good naturedly, "Yeah, she's Psi."

"Psi? Why _Psi_?", Bobby's face screwed up, confusion written all over it.

"Cause she _is_ a psi, _der_!" Joey shot back, laughing.

" That's a pretty plain name, then." Bobby noted.

"Oh, and 'Iceman' isn't plain?"

"Alright, you win." Bobby held his hands up in surrender, laughing.

Joey noted that Logan wasn't laughing. He seemed lost in thought. "What are your powers?" Joey asked the older man.

"I heal fast." He muttered, before turning his eyes slowly up without lifting his head. With him peering from under his eyebrows like that, he sort of looked like a feral animal.

"He also has claws." Bobby leaned over and whispered, knowing full well Logan could hear him.

_Snikt!_

Joey found three claws right in his face, the middle one almost touching his nose. Instead of being intimidated, Joey was impressed. "That's wicked cool!"

_Snakt!_

Claws were gone again, the exit wounds healing right before their eyes.. "Eh." Logan shrugged. "I'm going to bed. Bobby, you still have no room mate, right?"

The youth shook his head.

"Alright then. Storm seemed pretty preoccupied, so I'm using my authority to say that you two are now roommates." Logan said, pointing from one to the other menacingly. "And try not to kill each other, and, please, for all our sakes, don't talk about those Red Sox so loud you wake up the entire mansion! Got it?"

Joey saluted Logan with a mock-serious face, while Bobby grinned and nodded.

"Your sister doesn't seem to need a room for the night. We can worry about her tomorrow." He dismissed that thought.

"Wait, why?" Joey frowned, bewildered.

"She's asleep on the couch out there." He pointed to the door leading towards the entertainment room where Jones took up residence every night. Dang, that kid never slept.

"How can you tell…?"

Logan tapped his ear with his forefinger. "Got good ears too." Joey looked impressed as the professor once again said good night and left the youth to finish off the rest of the ice cream.

And, indeed, when he walked past the TV room, Jones was blinking; changing channels, as ever, while Gailyn was fast asleep, taking up an entire sofa. Seemingly unnoticed by them, he went of to his room. Walking around the cans and bottles on the floor, which were like his very own security system. It was very hard to navigate his room without hitting either can or bottle.

Sleep didn't come easily that night, even though he felt worn out. He kept thinking about that night at Alcatraz. The night he killed Jean… the woman he loved…

He would have sworn she was in his dreams during what little sleep he got. He would have sworn… that she were actually there with him… holding him, comforting him…


	3. Three for the Corn

I do not own X-Men or any other Marvel creation. This is a piece of fan work. Yes, I am changing and using some characters in ways that were not before. I may be ruining them, even. Well, you know what? I have fun writing this, so, deal, haha.

**Callaway County, MO – Random Popcorn Field**

Even after a full day of walking, Jesse felt as if she hadn't gone anywhere. "With all these friggin' corn fields, it's no wonder." She muttered under her breath. She had thought that following the highway to St. Louis would make getting there faster.

She hadn't known just how boring it would be.

Enter another field, yay… _more_ corn. Walk across yet _another… Oh… joy… even more corn._

_Oh, but this is a special field…_ Jesse could almost hear her dad, rambling as they drove from the latest landscaping job. _This, here, is a popcorn field._

"A popcorn field?" She responded dully, obviously not interested as she stared out the window at the blur of the stalks as they past by. "Fun."

"Oh, it is." Her dad grinned, his eyes practically sparkling. Who gets sparkly eyed over a field of vegetables, anyways?

"Whoop-die-do." Her eyes never left the scenery, so she didn't notice when her dad stole a quick look in her direction, or the sadness in his eyes.

He refused to loose the perk, though. "Yup, yup. This corn gets harvested, packed up, and then sold to various popcorn vendors."

"I'm dying of excitement." She couldn't stand how easily such simple things amused him.

"You can at least try and sound interested." He shot back bitterly.

Jesse snorted derisively, "Say something worth listening to, and I'll consider it."

Her dad refused to answer to that. Refused to talk to her the rest of the drive.

A sudden bright beam to her face shocked her from the flash back. Throwing her arms up in front of her face to shield her eyes, her face contorted in a grimace.

"Miss Thompson?" asked the figure holding the flashlight, concealed behind the bright glow.

"Who the heck are you, and how do you know my name?" she snarled at the man.

"My name is Hank McCoy, and I'm with Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." He explained, "It's a school for mutants. A safe haven, if you will."

"_Mutant_? I'm _no_ mutant!" _Friggin'! How the heck did this guy find out?_ "I'm just a normal kid… walking around… males from any town… in a field of… pop… corn…" yeah, she already knew she sounded lame. "What's with the flash light, mister? Can't see in the wee hours of the mornin'?" the light went out with a resounding click that seemed to echo in the silence.

Slowly, she let her arms drop into a defensive position. She tried to tense, ready for any attack… until her eyes fell on… the _Cookie Monster_?

"Holy…" she muttered in shock, the words 'C is for cookie, that's good enough for me' echoing in her brain over and over again. "I've died and gone to Sesame Street."

Hank frowned, "What?" A breeze swept through the field, causing the stalks and ears of corn to sway.

For some reason, her survival instincts kicked in, and she broke into a full out run away from the Cookie Monster.

Hank sighed as he watched the young girl's retreating back. "_I'm trying to help you!_" he yelled after her.

_Yeah right_, she thought, _and I'm running to Big Bird's nest. _Though, she might not be surprised if she found herself there.

Thinking she had enough of a head start to, possibly, get away, she was caught totally off guard when a blue blur darted in front of her, causing her to crash right into him. This guy was like a brick wall! She just rebounded off of him, landing right on her butt.

Startled, flames erupted all around her, catching the corn on fire. Popping and sizzling, a roaring sound of a large fire filled Jesse's ears, drowning out any other noise.

Hank jumped back as a wall of fire seemed to spread from the girl, stopping a few feet out from her. She screamed, the bull's eye of the inferno.

The corn around the circle popped, their fluffy white insides exposing themselves the atmosphere. Inside the walls of fire all was turned black, stalks and ears crumbling to piles of ash.

Unable to approach, Beast did all he could. He pulled out his communicator and called up Storm.

After a few rings, Hank was greeted by her welcoming voice, "Storm here."

"Storm, it's Beast." He told her.

"What's the situation?" she inquired.

Looking over at the blaze, he noted that is was beginning to die down slowly, the figure within indistinguishable. "I've found her. We're currently in the middle of a… popcorn field." If the situation weren't so serious, Hank would be cracking up right now. "She's surrounded in flames. Could you please come and pick us up?"

"Sure thing. See you in about an hour and a half."

"Roger that."

"Storm out." _Click._

"If I can _survive_ that long." The man muttered as he put the communicator back into his jacket pocket. The blaze flickered slightly before completely dying out, the young teen collapsed in a kneeling position. She almost looked as if she were praying…

In the mean time, he approached the blackened circle, the girl lying in the fetal position at its center. Kneeling down, he scooped up a handful of newly popped corn, a perfect end to a perfect chase. Sitting on the ground a few yards from the edge of the ashes, he sat and waited, munching on this unexpected treat.

**X-Men Mansion – Westchester, NY**

After ending the conversation with Hank, she quickly got dressed decently before running to Logan's room. Some students were roaming, even this early in the morning, greeting her as she strode past them. Replying appropriately, her focus was on getting out to Missouri and picking up Hank and Miss Thompson.

Arriving at Wolverine's door, she knocked before opening it. To her surprise, he was already awake, sitting on the edge of his bed, hunched over, looking very disheveled.

"Rough sleep?" she questioned. He nodded without looking up at her, eyes haunted as they darted from floorboard to floorboard.

"Well, you need to suit up. Hank found the girl out in a field, we need to pick them up." She notified him. After taking a deep breathe, he stood, stretching a bit before following her to the elevator leading to the belly of the complex.

The basement was very sterile, not a very welcoming environment, in stark contrast to the homey feeling of the upstairs region of the school.

Their arrival was heard and noted. As they passed by a cell door, a voice called out to them, "When are you gonna let me out?"

"When you're ready to play by the rules, John." Storm informed the mutant while Logan merely glanced at the steal door.

St. John Allerdyce grunted and went back to sleep. After all, there wasn't much else to do in solitary confinement. After the Alcatraz battle, nobody was willing to trust him quite yet.

They then each went to their respective locker rooms, suiting up in their uniforms.

The hangar for the Blackbird was large, dark room. Even with the jet nestled inside, the shadows made it appear endless.

However much he hated flying in this hunk of junk, Logan was going to be the co-pilot for this flight. He was skilled enough to take over, if need be.

After entering and closing the hatch, they sat in their respective pilot/co-pilot seats they began the checklist.

They made sure there were no planes in the vicinity before dampening the interior lighting. After that was done, the basketball court began to split down the middle, revealing the pitch-black jet within. Rising into the air on e vertical path, similar to a helicopter, the jet spun slowly in place until in faced southwest before they took off.

Rising above the surrounding trees, Ororo tilted the nose up, causing the Blackbird to rise rapidly. In almost no time at all, they were miles above the ground, still gaining altitude. At the speed they were going at as they crossed the threshold of the stratosphere, they would probably reach Hank in a little less then an hour and a half.

"By the way, Wolverine?" Ororo asked.

"Yeah?"

"Did the kids eat anything other then ice-cream last night?" she questioned. Logan grimaced.

"_Crap_."

Ψ 

_You are such a lazy child._

"Huh?" Gailyn lifted her head from the couch, squinting around.

"I didn't say anything." Replied Jones, never taking his eyes from the ever-blinking screen.

_Gailyn, it's me._ Jean couldn't believe this girl. 10:30am and she was _still _groggy.

"Oh… my bad." Gailyn apologized to the other kid. Of course, she caught her aunt's thoughts. It was getting easier and easier to do that over the past week or so. A little too easy… _What do you want, Auntie? I was _sleeping

Auntie sounded slightly sheepish, Gailyn picked up that she was ashamed for some reason. _I… would like to… see how much the school has changed… since my last… death…_

That pulled at her heartstrings, so, slowly but surely, she dragged herself from the comfortable, soft, warm leather sofa… and went off to tour around the place.

_Eh, why not_? Should bring back some of my childhood memories, she justified, knowing full well her aunt could tell that that wasn't why she was complying.

_Curses_, the longer Jean was living in her head, the harder it was for her to hide her thoughts from her. Then again, it went the other way around, as well. The older woman couldn't keep her thoughts a secret, either.

The hard wood floor felt nice on her bare feet. Frowning slightly, Gailyn gazed down at her naked feet.

_You kicked them off in your sleep_, Jean supplied, explaining why Gailyn's socks and shoes were not where they were supposed to be.

_Figures._ Before getting very far, her stomach began to grumble. "Shut up." Gailyn grumbled infantile back at the organ. _Can I get some grub first?_

Jean laughed, the sound echoing in Gailyn's head. _Go eat, Gaily_, she told her niece. _If you don't feel like cooking, I can take over for a bit to make up something for you. Unless they've changed the layout, I'll pretty much know where everything is._

_You're the best Auntie!_ Gailyn mentally hugged Jean.

_Haha, no problem. Now, let me take over._

_Sure thing._

Gailyn closed their eyes, and when they opened, for a split second they seemed to be on fire, before dying down to their natural green.

Ψ 

When Rogue knock on Bobby's door, she was shocked to see him open it far quicker then usual, "What happened? Are you ok?" his blood shot eyes worried her.

"Yeah, yeah. Just been watching the tapes I have of Hell freezing over in New York." Rogue, knowing Bobby, knew this meant when the Red Sox won the World Series, releasing them from the so-called 'Curse of the Bambino'.

"Watching them by yourself?"

"No, no. Been watching them with my new roommate." Rogue finally noticed the other youth wrapped in a cocoon of blankets in John's old bed. "Hey! Joey!" Bobby yelled at him. "Wake up! I want you to meet my girlfriend!"

It kind of reminded Rogue of a zombie, the way this Joey guy rose out of bed. "You have a girlfriend? Lucky!" the other boy said dazedly. Getting out of bed, Rogue was shocked at the shear size of him.

Joey extended his hand to the girl when he reached the couple. "I'm Joey Bailey. And you are?"

"Rogue." She replied, taking his hand with one of her un-gloved ones. Ever since the cure, she had had no need of wearing her gloves. His hand enveloped hers, swallowed it whole.

"Well, if we're going by codenames." Joey released her hand, grinning. "Then I'm Tank."

"If you really wanna know my name, it's Marie." At least this roommate was easier to deal with so far then John, or, rather, Pyro. He was being kept in a cell especially designed for him, at the moment, though.

"I'm a new student here, so's my sister." Joey scratched his head thoughtfully, reminding Rogue of a chimpanzee. "Last I saw her she was asleep buy that big screen TV downstairs."

"Oh, really? I'd like to meet her at some point."

"We can go look, if you want." Bobby suggested.

Ψ 

Jean had no need of a spatula. She just used telekinesis to flip the eggs. _You know… I could have made you something more…_

_Difficult? Nah. Bacon and eggs sounds like heaven compared to what Joey and I have been shoplifting lately_, Gailyn assured her.

_Shoplifting isn't right_. Jean sounded like an angry parent, chastising their kid.

Starving isn't good, either. Gailyn defended herself. Now, since the food looks about done, how about we sit down and eat, ok? She and Joey had had to survive somehow, and after leaving home with nothing but the clothes on their backs…

Fine, let's just eat. Jean sat in the chair, her eyes closing. When they opened again, Gailyn was in control. Grinning down at her breakfast, she picks up the fork her aunt had laid out for her, immediately digging into the feast.

This is so good! She yelled in her mind, earning an appreciative laugh from Jean.

Glad you like them, was all she said back.

"Is she…" Bobby pokes his head in before quickly retreating, his voice very muffled by the door. "Found her!" he called out to somebody.

Her back to the door, Gailyn just sat, contentedly chowing down her meal. Did I tell you this is really good? Gailyn asks Jean again as she takes a bite out of a perfectly cooked piece of bacon, still a bit juicy with a bit of a crisp. _Mmmm, good!_

Bobby entered again, followed by a girl with long dark brown hair and pure white bangs. Gailyn didn't turn around, just scanned them; Jean telling her that the girl's name is Rogue.

Raising her free hand in greeting, she continued attacking her breakfast.

"Rogue, this is Gailyn." Bobby introduced, "And, Gailyn, this is Rogue."

"Just a sec, sorry", Psi said around a mouthful of food. After swallowing, she turned in the stool, facing the other three students.

Bobby just grinned, Joey went over and began searching the fridge for food items, and Rogue jaw dropped.

"P-Professor Grey?" she sputtered. Bobby looked sharply at her, noticing for the first time that, indeed, she greatly resembled Dr. Grey.

_Funny how they're wrong, yet strangely right_, Gailyn mused. "No, no, just Gailyn. Jean was my aunt." That surprised Rogue, as well as Bobby.

_Just don't let them know I'm here_, Jean sounded like she was hiding from a person on the phone.

Gailyn extended her hand out to the other girl. "Hello." She greeted.

Rogue was slightly suspicious as he took the proffered hand. Bobby was being awfully friendly, her being a new student and all. "Nice to meet ya'" she said back. "So…" she started as she took back her hand. "How'd you and Bobby meet?" she asked offhandedly.

Gailyn caught the catch in the girl's voice. "Not recently, if that's what you're asking." Was that the wrong thing to say?

Rogue's eyes flashed. "Really?" Taking a seat across the island, Rogue looked very interested. "Do tell."

Grinning, Gailyn looked over at Joey, who had seemed to have discovered some bagels, and was now triumphantly cooking them in the toaster. "Joey and I lived across the street from him when we were little, that's all. He was our best friend till we moved.

"Why'd you move?" Rogue asked, no longer as suspicious.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Her voice ominous, this was not a good subject.

"Ah, why not?" Rogue asked, brow quirked.

Gailyn's now empty plate shot across the room, shattering against the wall. "I'm sorry." Gailyn muttered as she stood abruptly, glaring at the mess she had made. "As I said, I'd rather not talk about it."

Rogue exchanged a frightened glance with Bobby. She shrugged, and he mouthed the words 'I'll tell you later'.

Her glare intensifying on the mess, the broken glass seemed to shudder a bit before lifting into the air, hovering over to, then pouring itself into the trash barrel.

Psi shifted in her seat. "This is awkward."

Rogue grinned. "That was a pretty neat trick, at least."

Gaily smiled a little in return. "Thanks." Bobby, who had found a half empty ice cream carton, plunked down in the seat beside Rogue.

"Want some?" he offered her an extra spoon.

"Sure," she smiled warmly at him, a smile that he returned in kind.

Joey and his sister exchanged a quick glance. "I'm sorry about that." She whispered into his mind. "I didn't mean to…"

"I know, Gaily." He thought back. "I know."

**Callaway County, MO – Random Popcorn Field**

When Jesse woke up ashes and popcorn surrounded her.

Wait… ashes and… popcorn? The whole scene seemed to flood back as she franticly sat up. Straight ahead of her… The Cookie Monster! And he was munching on some of the popped corn!

"Good to see you have awakened." He said happily. "Our ride should arrive in, oh…" he gazed down at the watch on his furry, blue forearm. "Ten minutes or so?"

"_Our_ ride? Ex_cuse_ me, _sir_, but I'm not going _anywhere_ with _you_." Jesse couldn't believe this creep! He sneaks up on her in a field of _popcorn_, and then says _their_ ride is coming! This had to be against the law.

"Where else do you plan on going?" McCoy replied. "Your parents threw you out. And, it's quite obvious," he pointed at the ash circle, "that you don't know how to control your power."

Jesse, having no comebacks, glared at the ground. "Fine." She muttered. "What is it you're trying to say?"

Cookie Monster looked pleased. "I work at a school meant for mutants, like yourself. When they get old enough, they are able to go out into the world, a new identity, and a new life." He told her. "I went there when I was young. Back when I wasn't quite as hairy, and the only abnormal thing about me was that I resembled a gorilla/human cross-over." McCoy grinned and Jesse giggled a bit at that.

"Well," she said, still grinning, "I guess going to this school couldn't hurt. What's our ride, anyways?"

McCoy tilted his head bit, before standing and turning. "That" he said, pointing at a distant black dot that seemed to be getting closer.

"What is that?" Jesse asked in awe.

"That's a jet, my dear." He informed the girl. "She's called the Blackbird."


End file.
